Steve Spellman, a Columbia-area financial advisor and community leader, writes in the Columbia Missourian this week:
Which leads to the issue of our new medicinal marijuana regime, which right out of the gate was obviously too restrictive, and has lead to alarming transparency issues on how the limited number of licenses were approved — or denied.
Now, recreational marijuana polls well, and there is a well-funded and organized group with an initiative petition brewing to put the issue on our November ballot. This is coming one way or the other, so our state legislature should show leadership and finally decriminalize marijuana through the legislative review process — and do it the right way, right away.
No more cartels, no secretive approval process, no favoritism to deep pocketed insiders over local entrepreneurs. Maybe it can roll out in stages. Further procrastination in the Capitol could make things worse in the end.